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Change the Strings on the Savoy 150A -- There has to be a better way

Changed the strings tonight on the Savoy 150A.

I felt like a grandma trying to thread a needle without her glasses...

Is there some sort of trick to this that I'm missing? Trying to hook the ball end under the tail-piece was maddening. I ended up using two hands, closeup glasses and a head lamp to guide it in while I wrestled the guitar with my knees so it didn't fall. This can't be right.

Can someone tell me how they do it without all of the accessories I was using? There must be some trick.

I use a pair of needle nose plyers to bend and wrap the string in a curve, then slip it under the bar and on the pin. Definitely easier said than done but well worth it. Vibramate makes a sheet metal bracket called a spoiler, that holds the ball end of the string to make it supposedly easier to string up, but I have never used one. Also there are string through bars to retrofit to your Bigsby which sounds really easy, but again I have never used one.
Thanks John

As CA pointed out above, it does take practice and repetition to become comfortable with changing strings on an archtop guitar. Not to mention patience! One thing that I do is lay the guitar flat on the dinning room table for support. I use a bath mat to protect the finish and a neck rest.

See this thread for links to different products to use as a neck rest.

My biggest problem with the harp tailpiece is keeping the ball end from falling out of the slot once I begin winding the string on the post. A trick I use is to place my forefinger on the string behind the nut employing downward force to ensure an even wind on the post. And then I use my other three fingers to pull upward on the string in front of the nut to keep constant pressure on the ball end seated in the harp tailpiece. Sometimes I'm pulling the string up 2-3 inches off the fretboard. If all of that makes any sense.

I agree with all of the above advice. Iíll try to post songs pictures later, but I do have a few tricks for stringing my archtops. The first is to slightly bend the ball end area of the string up a little bit so will pull up into the slot in the tailpiece. The other is to keep some pressure on the string with one hand as you wind the string onto the tuning machine with the other hand. (I tend to wind the tuner with my left hand while holding onto the string with my right while holding the guitar on my lap sitting on a couch or something. I hope this helps.

If you think the X150 is a pain, try restringing a 12 string with a harp/trapeze tailpiece. The Gretsch Tailpiece was the best idea for a 12 string trapeze style tailpiece. Notice how they go ABOVE the tailpiece.

Did you know that is the 2nd function of your capo? Hook the string at the tailpiece, pull it kinda tight with your hand and clamp the string at the 2nd or 3rd fret with the capo; that'll hold it in place while you fiddle with wrapping it around the tuner and tightening it up.